The 20 Best Free Online Learning Courses

It doesn’t have to be back-to-school season for you to get that urge to learn. Self-improvement through education is always a worthy goal. And with the ubiquity of online courses, not to mention the flexibility they offer (some consist of an hour-long lecture and some are self-paced and can take as much time as you want), it’s easier than ever to pick up a new skill in your spare time.

Getting schooled doesn’t have to cost you a thing, either. There are plenty of free online courses, whether you want to learn a new language, master marketing for your business, or sound smarter at dinner parties. Here are 20 of our favorites.

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Master Class

It doesn’t have to be back-to-school season for you to get that urge to learn. Self-improvement through education is always a worthy goal. And with the ubiquity of online courses, not to mention the flexibility they offer (some consist of an hour-long lecture and some are self-paced and can take as much time as you want), it’s easier than ever to pick up a new skill in your spare time.

Getting schooled doesn’t have to cost you a thing, either. There are plenty of free online courses, whether you want to learn a new language, master marketing for your business, or sound smarter at dinner parties. Here are 20 of our favorites.

You’d also do well to add another language to your repertoire. Over six weeks, Basic Mandarin Chinese will get you started learning one of the most popular languages in the world (spoken by more than 955 million people!), and will give you a skill that’s wildly in demand.

Extra credit: If the thought of giving presentations makes you queasy, or you just want to hone your skills, The University of Washington has an Introduction to Public Speaking course, an 18-hour class) that focuses on crafting clear arguments and rhetoric, as well as critiquing speeches — yours included.

Money Matters

Looking for the fastest primer available on the stock market? In less than an hour, the Beginner’s Guide to the Stock Market will teach you the language of stocks, so you can actually understand what your money’s doing. For an in-depth look at personal finance, Purdue University’s eight-week Personal Finance Planning covers everything from credit scores to insurance to retirement. And for a deep dive into the little-understood world of economics, the self-paced Understanding the Federal Reserve will demystify how the Fed affects you every day.

Extra credit: The University of Florida’s Economic Issues, Food & You. The 10-week course covers the intersection of economics and food, including supply and demand, government policies, fluctuating food prices, and environmental impact.

Save on a Business-School Degree

Run your own business? Or have an excellent idea for a side project you’re not sure how to get off the ground?